Messi is joined by team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo as front-runners for the much coveted award but former Barca man Ibrahimovic believes the Argentine international deserves to win his fourth consecutive title.

“Messi is the best player in the world, he deserves the Ballon d’Or,” Ibrahimovic told BeIn Sport.

“I know he’s won it several times but it is deserved. He plays like he’s on PlayStation, it’s unbelievable. People who say otherwise either don’t know anything about football or are just talking nonsense.”

The Swedish goalscorer also touched in Zinedine Zidane and praised the former Real Madrid midfielder for the impact he had on the game.

“When Zidane stepped onto the pitch, the 10 other guys just got suddenly better. It is that simple.

“It was magic. He was a unique player. He was more than good, he came from another planet. His team-mates became like him when he was on the pitch. A player that makes the difference is a player that makes the others better.

“I don’t know if we will see others like him. That’s my mentality. Make the others better. Because if they are better, I too will be better,” he said.